


Suburbia Gets Spicy

by pavloverly, spongeclogs



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dad Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Dad Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison, Multi, PTA au, so much fluff tbh, sort of a highschool au too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-11-05 08:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11010081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pavloverly/pseuds/pavloverly, https://archiveofourown.org/users/spongeclogs/pseuds/spongeclogs
Summary: Jack is a PTA dad who just wants some dick. Gabe is doing his Best. Hana is a twelve year old turd who loves her dad. Jesse and Sombra are gay little shits. Suburbia better watch out.





	1. PTA President: Jack Morrison

Jack strides into the Miller O.W elementary school boardroom and greets all the mothers. They offer him their various sweets and savoury baked goods. Kindly, he declines, explaining that the he shouldn't eat before a meeting - one that is about to start. He projects his voice across the room and invites everyone to take a seat at the dark oak table so that they can begin.

"Hi everyone, thank you for coming.” Jack offers his best charming smile. “This is the first meeting of the new school year and I'm glad to see that everyone has decided to continue committing.” He shuffles his papers. “First order of business, the back-to-school bake sale. Now, the funds earned from this sale will go directly to the arts department-"

He can't even finish his sentence because all the other mothers gasp and begin muttering amongst themselves.

"Jack, I’d hate to interrupt, but our funds always go to the sports department. They need more new equipment and it encourages physical activity." Roberta Delano calls out amongst the harsh whisperings of motherly disapproval. Jack sighs and calmly waits for the ruckus to quiet before he can address the room again.

"I know that this is different from what we usually do, but I need you all to understand that the art department have approximately two half sets of what used to be a combined 100 set and three industrial tubs of acrylic paint - one for each primary colour. They're severely lacking and art needs to be encouraged. Not every kid is sporty or academic and that should be encouraged overall. Physical fitness is incredibly important especially with rising obesity rates, however, we can't ignore the other aspects of school life," Jack replies. “Specifically, the school life you all _pay_ for your children to attend.”

"He does have a point." Karen Bronson mutters, nodding in approval.

Jack's VP and best friend, Ana Amari, stands up, raising her hand. "All in favour of bake-sale funds going to the arts department say I." Eight women, including Ana, raise their hands with her. A chorus of “I”s echo around the room.

"Wow Pamela, didn't think you'd side with the dirty arab," Betty Buckley remarks.

"Betty, we can take this outside and I can show you what these 'dirty arab’ hands can do." Ana threatens.

"Ladies, please remain civil.” The only male in the room Jack, attempts to diffuse the situation. “And Betty, if I continue to hear you say these obviously racist things I'm going to kick you out and I'll make sure that your little Chad never gets a scholarship to whatever Ivy League hell-hole you'll force him to go to."

"You wouldn't." Betty Buckley turns to Jack, practically seething.

"Try me." He defiantly meets her gaze.

Ana coughs through a smug glance at Betty and nudges the man next to her, a subtle reminder for Jack to get back on track.

"Right.” He shuffles his papers again out of habit. “The vote is eight against six, so the funds will go to the art department. Moving on..."

 

The meeting continues far more smoothly than it began and things get sorted out far quicker. Helping your child, giving them space when needed, how online interaction affects their well-being are and how to adapt to these new, modern times are all covered. By 9:30 everyone has cleaned up, leaving Ana and Jack in the school parking lot to lean against their cars parked side-by-side.

"The nerve of Betty Buckley, I swear to God." Jack mutters to Ana, leaning on his grey Ford MPV.

"I know, that racist bitch has had it out for me ever since I joined." She mutters insults directed at Betty under her breath in Arabic, probably cursing her.

"She's unbelievable. I hope David realises she’s not worth it and signs those divorce papers." Jack says, sipping at his cold coffee thermos.

"So you can have David all to yourself?" She chuckles, smirking at Jack. When he starts to get flustered, she winks at him, making suggestive hand gestures.

"N-no no. God no. I don't think he even- no." He stumbles over his words, opposing the idea completely.

"Come on Jackie, get yourself out there!” She smiles at him kindly. “You haven't been with anyone since....” She pauses, counting the years with her fingers. “Well, me."

"I have Hana. I don't think she'd like someone else in our lives, especially at her age." He sighs with mild frustration. “I’d love to, but I don’t wanna do that to her.”

"Ah, the tender age of twelve… Fareeha was a nightmare, still is. Fourteen year olds, I swear."

"I'm sure she takes after you in that aspect." he laughs.

"Let's hope Hana doesn't take after dad and decide to join 10 different extracurriculars in high school." Ana jests.

"I'll stand by that decision. It was fun."

"You broke down from stress in the second week. And I know this because Tracy told me."

"I wish she hadn't been in the same regiment as me, maybe some of my “dark secrets” would've stayed secret."

"Taking 10 extracurriculars is a dark secret of yours? Yeesh. You're as plain as bread and butter."

"Wow, didn't think I'd ever hear you diss bread and butter."

"Let me live."

Jack is about to make another witty remark when his phone rings. The caller ID says Reinhardt Wilhelm. He immediately flips open his phone and answers.

"Hi Reinhardt, is everything okay?"

"Not Really! I fell asleep and Hana, the little rascal, wanted to make ramen. She tried but she microwaved her fork with it! The Microwave exploded and I had the biggest scare of my LIFE! What do I do?" The older man yells down the line in his brutish voice, the sheer loudness making Jack’s ears ring. He holds the phone further away from his ear, and thinks of a reply.

“I’ll come home right now. Is Hana okay? Can you put her on the phone?”

“She’s okay. I’ll put her on.”

Jack can hear Reinhardt call Hana over and she answers with a feeble “Hi dad.”

“Hi Hana are you hurt?”

“No. I feel fine.”

Jack sighs in relief, now that _that_ stress is over he can assume The Disappointed Dad position, “What the hell were you thinking? You and Reinhardt could’ve been hurt. And don’t even tell me that it was an accident because I know you. Why did you do it?”

“I-I I just...I was recording it because Lúcio was gonna use the sound in a song” Her voice is shaky and it sounds like she’s about to cry.

“Hey hey sweetheart it’s okay. I’m not mad at you. If anything I’m disappointed but it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re okay it’s all good.”  

Hana bursts into tears, mumbling apologies. Jack wants to reprimand her for being so careless and yet he just can’t bring himself to it. He hates hearing her cry.

“Hana, sweetie, it’s okay. I’ll come home and I’ll sort things out.”

 "Okay dad, see you soon...Love you.” Hana sniffles.

“Love you too.” Jack says, hanging up.

“Hana blew up the microwave?” Ana queries.

  
“Yeah. she wanted to help Lucio out with a song.”

“That’s a new excuse. I’m betting that she was bored and wanted to do something fun.”

“That’s something she would do but she loves Lucio. She really looks up to him and she’ll do anything to help the kid out.”

“Maybe...As long as she’s okay.”  
“Exactly” Jack sighs, putting his phone in his back pocket, “I should get home and sort this out.”

“I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely. Come over at 4 for coffee and bring Fareeha too.”

“I definitely will. See you then.”

 

Ana and Jack hug and get into their respective cars. As Jack turns the car on and begins to pull out of the parking lot a wave of dread washes over him, he's not ready to deal with a hysterical Reinhardt.

* * *

 

2 hours go past. Reinhardt has been comforted and is now asleep on the couch. Hana has been mildly reprimanded with a Week-Long School Night Gaming Ban and is asleep. Jack has ordered a new microwave online and is now laying in bed. After all the stress of the evening he realises something: he needs to get laid.


	2. Gabriel Reyes Joins The PTA

Gabriel Reyes is not having a good day. He’s in the principal’s office to explain Sombra’s behaviour for the 3rd time in a week. It’s only 9 am and he hasn’t had his coffee yet. 

The principal’s office is a dull off-white with various pale watercolours in chocolate frames hanging off them. The chair that Gabe’s sitting in is stiff and wooden, the same colour as the frames and the principal’s desk. The extent of the colour co-ordination makes him uncomfortable, he shuffles in his seat wanting to be anywhere but this damn office.

Sombra comes in and sits next to Gabe, the chair is a clone of the one that Gabe’s sitting in and it makes him want to choke whoever designed this god-forsaken office.

[“You’re making a face.”] Sombra says in Spanish.

[“And?”] Gabe replies stiffly.

[“What’s going on?”]

[“What’d you do this time?”]

[“Okay it wasn’t even that bad. I sorta just hacked the school internet to unblock all the websites that were supposedly ‘banned’. Republican and Alt-Right websites weren’t blocked but anything left-wing was? I couldn’t let that continue to happen.”]

[“As much as I love you making political statements, I don’t appreciate being woken up early to haul ass and hear your gringo principal bitch about the shit you do. So next time you wanna fuck things up, do it after midday.”]

Sombra grins and whispers, [“So you’ll defend me?”[

Gabe meets her eyes and whispers [“Even if I didn’t know what you did I’d still defend you ‘cos you’re my daughter and I gotta stand with you.”]

Sombra’s eyes light up but the tender moment is cut short when the principal shuts the door and takes a seat at his desk.

“Mr Reyes do you know what your daughter has done _this time_?” The principal, Mr Boone, asks - a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

“I understand that Sombra has fixed the school’s problem with the internet.” Gabe smiles.

“I’m sorry what problem?”

“Oh you know, the problem where anything politically aligned with the left is blocked but right-winged sites are allowed. Sombra fixed that.”

Mr Boone’s smile drops,“Sombra has been lying, the school doesn’t have anything like that.”

Gabe leans forward, still smiling. “Well before Sombra came in I decided to check buzzfeed, I love their ridiculous quizzes in all truth, but oddly enough I couldn’t access the site while connected to the school’s free wi-fi. I went on 4G and surprise! I could get on. Sombra had told me about only being able to access right-wing sites a while ago so I decided to check it out and guess what? She was right. So I think the real liar here is _you_ , Mr Boone.”

The middle-aged white man pales but his ears remain beet red, “W-w-what?” He stammers out.

“You. Are. Lying.” Gabe says, glaring at the man opposite him. He leans back and checks the time on his phone: 9:42. He rubs his eyes and groans “Look, I don’t want to cause any more trouble than what has already happened so how about this: we forget about this whole situation. The websites stay the same on the moral ground that teens have a right to read whatever political nonsense they want. Sombra walks out unpunished and I walk out not saying a single thing about Dave Boone, the principal of Saint James’ High School, being a liar. Sounds good?”

Mr Boone nods and clears his throat. “That sounds agreeable, Mr Reyes. I apologise for the trouble this has caused you and I hope you have a good day. Sombra can go home early if she wants.”

“Thank you, she’ll come home early and so will my son Jesse.”

“That’s alright. Be sure to register the early departures with the school office.”

“Will do. Thank you for your time.” Gabe stands and shakes the principal’s clammy hand, “Let’s go mija.”

Sombra walks out with Gabe and she has the biggest smile on her face, “Thanks for that.”

“No problem.” Gabe smiles back.

“I’ll text Jesse to get over here and you can take care of the stuff at the office.”

“Okay. Hey after this is over, do ya wanna get ice cream?”

“Hell yeah”

 "Great." Gabe hands her the car keys, "Wait in the car and tell Jesse to meet me at the office."

"Understood, Capitán." Sombra replies, giving her dad a two fingered salute as she leaves the building.

* * *

 Jesse slumps in his chair at the ice cream parlour, his Rum n' Raisin cone already devoured. "I'm a lil mad at ya Gabe."

"Why's that mijo?" Gabe queries as he feeds himself a spoonful of his tiramisu flavoured triple scoop.

"I was real close to askin' Hanzo Shimada out. If it weren't for the two o' y'all, I probably could've gotten a date."

"Where would you take him, cabrón?" Sombra interjects.

"I'd take him to a Museum or Gallery and we'd make fun o' art"

"Wow Jesse, you're a real romantic. No wonder everyone's swooning over you." his younger sister jests as she licks her strawberry cheesecake cone.

"Shut up ya big zurullo."

"Watch it you two." Gabe threatens.

The siblings apologise to each other and move on. 

Gabe looks at his kids and his face drops. "Fuck me up the ass. I just remembered something."

"What'd you remember?" Jesse asks.

"I joined the PTA and I have a meeting tonight at 6:30."

Jesse and Sombra burst out laughing, a combination of "oh my god", "since when were you a gringo?" and "I can't believe you Did That." flutter between the two teens and Gabe can't help but laugh too.

Sombra wipes her eyes "When did you join?"  
  


"A month ago. It was too late for that month's meeting but I need to go to this meeting. I have to make muffins or something."

"You should make those chili and fetta muffins that you use to make when Sombra was like 8." Jesse says.

"That's not a bad idea. Gabe you should, I miss those muffins."  
"I don't know if the suburban white moms can handle the heat. I could put 'too much' pepper on something and they'll call it too spicy."

"Why not just replace the chili with pepper then? test the waters and when you know they can handle it, bring in the chili."

"That actually might work, thanks Sombra."

"Uhhh where's my recognition? I came up with the suggestion."

"Sorry. Thanks Mijo." Gabe smiles, "Let's go home so we can get started."

* * *

The PTA room is old as hell, much like the white women occupying the room. Gabe is holding a plat of pepper and fetta muffins and trying to navigate through the crowd of 12. He gets to the table and places the muffins down, the other food looks far less appetising but then again he isn't a stay-at-home mom who doesn't know what seasoning is. 

"Hi there. You must be new right?" A red-haired woman asks from across the table.

"Uh yeah. I'm Gabe." He replies.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Pamela Bradley. Our president, Jack, isn't here yet but when he shows up you definitely should introduce yourself. It's nice to have another dad in the mix."

"I'll definitely do that. Is Jack the only other guy in this group?"

"Mhm. Where are you from?"

"Oh I'm from Mexico City but I moved to inner city LA when I was 17."

"Wow! That's so interesting. Do you have any kids?"

"I have two. Sombra is 16 this year and Jesse turned 18 in February. I adopted Jesse when he was 7 and Sombra when she was about a year old."

"Why'd you adopt?" 

Pamela's prodding is making Gabe uncomfortable but he wants to make a good impression so he answers truthfully, "I finished touring with a special ops division of the army and a few years later I realised that I'd always wanted kids. I figured that adopting was the best option and it honestly was the best decision I've ever made. Do you have kids?"

"Oh that's so lovely, Gabe. I have four little monsters. The oldest is 11 and the youngest is 6."

"That's wonderful."

"Yes. Oh Jack's here." Pamela calls Jack's name and introduces him to Gabe. 

Gabe only has four words on his mind: Oh no he's hot.

"It's nice to meet you, Gabe. Do you get how the PTA works?" Jack queries, his smile radiates like he's some kind of gold statue.

"It's nice meeting you too Jack and yeah, I get it."

"Great! If you want to talk after the meeting, I usually stay behind with Ana, the Arabic woman with the eye-patch who's chatting with Pam at the moment."

Gabe looks over and sees the woman that Jack's referring too. Her thick black hair is braided to the left side with a few strands framing the sides of her face. "I'll definitely consider it." he replies.

* * *

 

The meeting goes well. Everyone is welcoming of Gabe despite only Ana eating his muffins and despite some snappiness between a few of the mothers, nothing entirely terrible happens. Issues are brought up and quickly resolved. Finally it's 9:00pm and the meeting is over so Gabe decides to wait around and have a chat with Jack and Ana.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope ya liked this chapter!! all comments, kudos etc are greatly appreciated and i hope y'all are loving this au as much as i am!!! <3


	3. Jack Morrison: Gay Mess

It’s been a week since the meeting and Jack can’t get Gabe out of his mind. The handsome dark-skinned man has only just joined yet he makes everything look effortless. The way he carries himself, the way he smiles…it’s just so dang smooth.

“Dad?” Hana breaks his train of thought. Jack reminds himself of where he is. They’re sitting at the dining table eating leftover Ful Medames that Ana made the previous night. It’s 6:30pm. It’s unusually dark for late spring. Hana’s already in her PJs and she’s looking at him with her eager, earthy eyes.

 

“Sorry. I got lost in thought.” He says.

Hana studies him, worry creeps onto her face. “Were you disassociating again?”

“No.” He shakes his head, “No. I was just thinking about the newest PTA member.”

“Oh.” Worry is quickly replaced with that devilish grin that Jack is so familiar with. “Gabe something, right?”

“Reyes.”

“Reyes.” Hana repeats. “Is he hot?”

“Hana.”

“Dad.”

“I can’t say anything like that. It’s probably against some kind of PTA rule.”

“Oh but I bet all the moms fawn over you and him. They probably think you’re the hot dad version of Chris Evans and that he’s the hot dad version of Oscar Isaac.”

“Okay but Oscar Isaac already looks like a hot dad.”

“True but c’mon. Loosen up a little. Do _you_ think he’s hot?”

“Maybe a little.”

“Ooooooooh.” Her eyes widen and she leans forward, “You have a crush on him?”

 

“Unlike you, Hana, I’m not twelve. I don’t get crushes.”

 

“Sure and I don’t get play of the game every time.”

 

“Hana, please.” Jack sighs.

 

“Dad if you have feelings for someone just let it happen. Jeez this isn’t the early 80’s anymore.”

 

“I know. I know. I just...It’s different with those mothers. Talking about anything not straight’s like…like.... walking on eggshells.”

 

“Ugh I hate suburban white moms. Glad I don’t have one.”

 

“Do you feel weird not having a mom?”

 

“Nah. Ana’s like my mom. Anyway, I’d rather have two dads and see you happy.”

 

Jack smiles and shakes his head. “What’d I ever do to deserve a daughter like you?”

 

Hana shrugs her shoulders and goes back to her food. Jack’s mind drifts back to Gabe, more importantly, how to ask him out without starting the biggest drama since Helen Duprovsky exposed Tana Lee-Miller for sleeping with the principal.

* * *

 

 The following Wednesday morning goes anything but smoothly. Hana wakes up with blood all over the sheets and freaks out. Jack has to calm her down, assert that she definitely isn’t a sleep-walk murderer.  
“Hana don’t even worry about it. Most women, and some men, get their period. It’s totally natural.”

“It’s gross though.”

“It’s nature. Do you know if we have tampons or something?”

“Uhh...Fareeha left a couple pads when she slept over on friday.”

“Thank God. Go shower and do all that stuff, I’ll clean up and after I drop you off I’ll stock up.”

“Okay but how are you so chill with this stuff?”

“Ana gave me tips so I’d be prepared.” he flushes.

“Tell Ana that I love her.”

“Will do. Now go shower.” Jack shoos her.

\---

Jack's searching for a decent brand of pads but he's completely lost. What the hell does wingless mean? What's the difference between thins and  regular? He'd ask someone around him but he's a little embarrassed, it's awkward enough just being in this aisle of the drugstore. 

"Holy crap I didn't think I'd see you here, Jack." A warm voice calls out behind him. Jack instantly recognises that the voice belongs to Gabe. He turns around and smiles,

"Hi Gabe. How are ya?"

"I'm great, what about you?"

"I'm pretty good but...I'm feeling a little lost here."

"Trouble figuring out what to get?"

"Y-yeah."

"It's okay I had trouble when my daughter, Sombra, got her first period too."  
"I have no idea what I'm doing" Jack admits.

"If it's her first you'll probably want to get her a couple packs of overnights, three or four packs of regular and, one pack of thins -just in case."

"Thanks so much, I have no idea what those words mean but I'm sure Hana'll get it."

"If she's anything like her dad I'm sure she's sharp as a tack."

Jack feels heat rush to his cheeks and he figures that this is his moment, "D-do you wanna get coffee with me, if you're free?"

"Yeah definitely." Gabe replies without hesitation. He goes pink and smiles, "Where do you have in mind?"

"There's a nice little cafe across the road from King Street Cinemas."

"Sounds good, I'll follow you."

"Sure thing." Jack smiles.

* * *

The cafe is dimly lit with an indie hipster-y aesthetic that Gabe and Jack just don't fit into.  They make small talk before their drinks are served.

"So how did Sombra and Jesse come into your life?" Jack asks, sipping at his black coffee.

"I figured you'd have heard it from the other moms but I was in spec ops for a while and a few years after I finished touring I realised I wanted to have kids. Adopting was my go-to and it was probably the best decision I've ever made." Gabe smiles, adding honey to his chai.

"You were in spec ops?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I was in spec ops too."

"Holy shit." Gabe bangs the table with his hand, "What group?"

"5th. You?"

"I was in 3rd."

"Huh, we're pretty similar, after I finished touring I adopted Hana."

"No wife in the picture?"

"No. I'm...I'm gay."

"Well damn we do have a lot in common." Gabe jests.

Jack chuckles "So is this a date then?"

"I thought it was."

Jack almost chokes on his coffee when he hears those words but he makes a smooth recovery, "Okay. We're out on a date. Good thing Hana got her period or else this wouldn't have happened.

"Good thing Sombra asked me to make a supply run."

"It's weird how things work out, huh?"

"It sure is." Gabe rests his fingers on Jack's hand. 

Jack intertwines his fingers with Gabe's and he swears that Gabe blushes. Not bad for a guy who hasn't dated in 15 years.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long lol but thanks for all the comments my dudes i love yall!!!
> 
> all comments, kudos etc. are greatly appreciated <33333


	4. Gabriel Reyes Cooks Too Much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo sorry this took so long, writers block is a bitch sometimes lol. thanks so much for all the feedback bc fr i live off of it. also as per usual anything written in brackets is spoken spanish + towards the end theres talk of ptsd and nightmares- it's not explicit but i want yall to be careful if ur not down w that kind of stuff
> 
> anyway all comments, kudos etc. are greatly appreciated <33333

Gabe practically dances into the house. Sombra and Jesse are on the couch, leaning on each other and scrolling through whatever social medias they have. Gabe plops himself between the two and wraps his arms around them.

“Guess what happened today niños?” he asks.  
“You got my pads?” Sombra retorts, eyes unmoving from her phone.

“Well yes but also...I went on a date.”

“Hol-y shit Gabe. With who?” Jesse queries.

“Remember the hot PTA dad I was telling you two about?”

Sombra and Jesse simultaneously drop their phones and begin prodding Gabe with questions like “what did y’all talk about?” and “when did he start sucking?” Gabe tells them everything, especially the part where cock sucking **wasn’t** involved.

“It was sweet. We went to some hipster cafe near the cinemas and we talked for a while until we sorta just decided it was a date.

“That’s nice. It’s a better date than anything Jesse could come up with.”

“Hey that art gallery thing’s a good idea because it doesn’t create pressure to be all romantic n stuff. Hanzo’d be down with it cos like, Genji tells me that he ain’t the romantic type.” Jesse interjects.

“Mm from what I hear he’s more a sexual guy.” Sombra muses. 

Jesse goes bright red and snaps back with some incoherent Spanish.

“Alright that’s enough kiddos.” Gabe intervenes. “Let’s talk dinner.”

“I bet Jesse’s in the mood for a _long_ piece of sushi.” Sombra smirks.

“I bet ya want some of that spicy curry from Satya.” Jesse replies with a wink.

“Oye! Both of you stop. Just tell me what you two want for dinner.” Gabe interrupts, clearly exasperated.

“Fine. I was thinkin’ that we get some pizza.” Jesse sighs.

“Sounds good. Sombra are you good with that?”

“Fine by me.”

Gabe massages his temples and turns to Sombra, “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing’s up.”

Gabe gives her The Look and immediately she leans back into the couch and sighs, folding her arms.

“Look. I don’t want to talk about it now but can we talk later?”

“Sure.” Gabe gets up and goes into the kitchen to presumably call the pizza place.

Jesse gives Sombra a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "M'sorry if I upset ya with that comment. I get it if you don't wanna talk to me right now but m'always here if ya need me."

"Thanks and well...I started it so I should really be the one apologizing."

"I ain't gonna hold it to ya."

"Thanks, pendejo."

"No problem, cabrón."

Jesse stands up and heads upstairs to his room. Sombra closes her eyes and thinks of Satya.

* * *

The pizza has been eaten and Jesse has gone out with Genji. Sombra and Gabe are chilling on the worn, dark green sofa that encompasses the living room as they watch TV.

Gabe puts his arm around Sombra and she leans into his shoulder. He looks down at her and clears his throat, ["Do you wanna talk now?"]

Sombra looks up at him and sighs ["fine."]

["Okay. What's going on?"]

Sombra sits up and immediately starts toying with the hem of her shirt, ["I've started dating this girl from school, Satya."]

Gabe's face lights up and  he pulls her into one of his infamous bear hugs, ["That's fantastic! I'm so happy for you!"]

Sombra pulls away and looks down, ["I don't know. This whole...commitment thing is freaking me out. Like, the concept of being with someone in _that_ way for an indefinite period of time is...scary. No. It's fucking terrifying. I know it won't last forever too. That this is just another high school romance that'll get fucked up the minute we graduate. Hell I don't know if we'll even last to next semester."]

Her eyes begin to cloud with tears so Gabe holds her hand. He pulls her into his chest, patting her hair as tears begin to spill.

["It's okay darling, I know that commitment is a scary thing. But...don't think of the future. Just think about what's happening now. Think about how much you like her, how pretty you think she is, how much she loves...whatever it is she's interested in. If you do that, I can guarantee that you won't feel as scared as you do."]

Sombra hugs Gabe back asking,  “how the hell do you know all that shit?”

Gabe doesn’t respond and just continues to rub her hair until they both fall asleep.

* * *

Military service has some downsides and the biggest one is nightmares. Each night Gabe re-lives the same fucking memory but...this one's weird. Jack is in it.

Gabe is trying to get hold of a medic to help out his best friend who’s been shot in the chest but Raul’s tan, bloodied face changes to Jack’s. Jack's whimpering and crying. He tells Gabe that it's okay, that they weren’t going to last long anyway then he just...fades and Gabe is left alone in the middle of a bombed out Afghani town.

Gabe wakes up with tears in his eyes. He sits up and checks his alarm clock: 3:34 am. He knows that he won't fall back asleep so he decides to shower. He decides that he won't think about Jack.

He ends up thinking about Jack. Gabe would probably entertain himself in the shower if they were different kinds of thoughts and  he weren't emotionally exhausted. Gabe reprimands himself for caring so much. 'This is what happens when you start getting into romantic shit. This is what you deserve for not only caring for another guy but for letting Raul die', his brain tells him. Gabe tells his brain to shut the fuck up. But the thoughts force their way back in and he can't help but let more tears stream down his face, following and blending in with the trail of water droplets. 

The tears have subsided and he realises that he's been in there for about an hour so he practically flings himself out. He changes into some fresh pajamas and checks on the kids.

Sombra's room is right across from the bathroom so she gets the check up first. He opens the door to see the sixteen year old fast asleep, hidden in a blanket burrito. He notices all the polaroids Sombra has of her and Satya, it's all very sweet. Gabe closes the door and tiptoes to Jesse's room. Jesse's asleep but he's half on the floor and half on the bed, not surprising considering Genji and another kid, presumably Genji's brother, are sprawled on top of him. It's a cute moment. Jesse's snoring like the devil as per usual, Genji is mumbling some indistinct Japanese and, Hanzo is drooling on Jesse's chest. It cheers Gabe up a little to see his kids so peaceful. He checks the tacky cowboy themed clock above Jesse's bed which reads 5:13am. He figures that he should get started on breakfast.

* * *

Gabe has a problem with cooking. He's really good, could've gone professional but he has no clue on the issue of portions. He made enough breakfast to feed like 3 Mexican families and that's still a decent understatement. When the kids come downstairs and feast their eyes on the spread of various foods from chorizo to waffle-burgers they freak out in excitement. Even Hanzo smiles and that almost makes Gabe shed a tear of happiness. Despite the better pleasantries of the morning, Gabe can't help but overthink what Dream-Jack told him. 

 


	5. That One Filler Chapter With A Bit Of Plot

The coffee shop is an odd art deco style. Dark hardwood floors, deep red walls with gold accents and strange geometric paintings adorning the walls. Jesse and Genji sit in the back corner near the kitchen, sharing a milkshake that’s most definitely 80% sugar.

“I can’t wait to turn 18 cos I’m gonna fucking strut down to a tattoo parlour and get a laughing-crying emoji on my left ass cheek just to spite my parents.” Genji says, slamming his fist on the wooden table for emphasis.

“Not gonna lie, I’d regret that in a few years.” Jesse smiles.

“Psh. You’re the one that got a spur on your right tit when you turned 18.”

“And your point is?”

“You can’t talk about regretful tattoos.”

“Okay you’re right. But also we should think o’more crazy shit to do to piss off your asshole parents.”

“Absolutely.” Genji checks his phone and frowns, “Hey you’ll never guess what’s going on.”

“What?”

“My parents are being total fucking assholes again, Hanzo just messaged me saying that they were saying all this homophobic bullshit and they told him to get lost. They also extended that ‘get lost’ thing to me. ‘Don’t come home until this gay nonsense stops’ in their words.”

“Shit. You and Hanzo can stay over for as long as y’all need. ‘M sure Gabe’ll understand.”

“Thanks man, I’ll tell Hanzo.”

“You need me to sneak in and grab some of your shit?”

“Nah Hanzo’s got it covered.”

“Cool. Tell him to meet us here, he can leave your stuff in my car and we can go out and do something fun.”

“‘Kay. what are we gonna do?”

“Dunno. Another milkshake and then maybe hang out at the park?”

“Sounds good to me.” 

* * *

It’s been a few weeks since Genji and Hanzo have pretty much moved into the Reyes household. Everything’s going well except for the whole Gabe Thing. The situation’s that he’s not sleeping and he’s not leaving the house. Hell half the time he doesn’t leave his room and it’s making Jesse and Sombra worry. They both know that PTSD can be a real bitch but the problem is that Gabe isn’t saying anything. Sometimes he comes downstairs to eat some yoghurt or whatever but that’s it. As far as Jesse and Sombra know, Gabe stays in bed all day and doesn’t move. They want to help, so do Genji and Hanzo, but they don’t know how to go about it. Gabe has never been this bad. The only thing they can do is leave food for him at his bedside table and try to urge him to see a doctor. 

“Okay Jesse I’ve had it. I’m going to steal Gabe’s phone.” Sombra sighs, plopping herself next to Jesse on the couch.

“That really a good idea? I mean the last time ya stole it…” Jesse replies, concern creeping onto his face.

“I know, I know, that whole banned from eating homemade Mexican thing. But this is serious. If he has a contact on his phone that we could hit up and ask for help with him...it might just work. We need to do something because he can’t just stay like this.” 

Jesse frowns and purses his lips in thought. [“Okay. Do it. But I need to be there to see and help you decide on a contact.”]

[“You’re the best brother I’ve ever had!”] Sombra practically squeals before she quietly runs up to Gabe’s room. 

* * *

Jesse, Hanzo and Genji are walking around the city markets. They browse the various stalls and Jesse, ever the gentleman, pays for all the food.  Genji spots his friend Zenyatta and leaves Hanzo and Jesse to wander around by themselves. The pair decide to blow the markets and head over to a nearby park.

"I don't think I thanked you for taking Genji and I in." Hanzo says as he leans into the park bench, "So uh...thanks."

"Don't sweat it. You and Genji don't deserve the kinda shit that y'all have to put up with. Hell even before all this, Genji had a spare key to our place in case things got real bad." Jesse replies.

"I feel guilty for leaving Genji when he needed me. I didn't want to jeopardize what my father thought of me because, well, his opinion of me mattered. I should've stopped caring about that long ago. Genji has been kicked out so many times and each time I did nothing. You gave him a home and a second family, a better family. You're more of a brother to him than I ever could be. I only defended Genji this time because I felt that I was ready to come out. I...I don't deserve your hospitality."

"Hanzo, no offence, but shut the fuck up." Jesse turns to Hanzo, "Your parents are at fault here. I mean, who in their right fuckin' mind kicks out their kid on a whim? Not decent ones. I know what it's like to have shitty parents, believe me, but you can't blame yourself." Jesse holds Hanzo's hand, "Fear paralyses you and when you're constantly scared of the very people who should care for you, it can fuck you up five ways from Sunday. I know that Genji forgives you because he understands you, probably better than anyone else. So don't. Don't blame yourself for bein'  _ human _ ." 

Hanzo's grip tightens around Jesse's hand and Jesse can see Hanzo's eyes water. Hanzo closes his eyes and pulls Jesse into a hug. Jesse hears a mumbled "thank you" from Hanzo and holds him tighter. They sit like that in complete silence for what seems like hours until Hanzo pulls away to wipe his eyes. 

Jesse realizes they were sitting like that for around 15 minutes.

* * *

 

Jesse and Hanzo return to the house holding hands. They lay in Jesse's bed for a couple hours listening to some oddly relaxing folk music.

"I realize now why I have a crush on you." Hanzo mumbles into his pillow.

Jesse's heart stops.

After around 2 minutes of shocked silence Jesse forces himself to speak, "Y-you have a crush on  _ me _ ?"

Hanzo shoves his face into the pillow even more and screams. Albeit it's quite muffled nonetheless it's still actual screaming. For a solid minute.  He sits up and ends the conversation before it can fully start with a resound "No."

Jesse bursts out laughing and ends up falling off the bed which leads to Hanzo cracking up and falling on top of Jesse. The two laugh together, in slight pain and in a very awkward position but the laughter seems to smooth it all out. Their laughter fizzles out and they're left laying on top of each other, gazing into each other's eyes. i

"Could...could I kiss you, Jesse?"

"Of course ya can, darlin'"

Hanzo leans his head in and gently kisses Jesse. Unsurprisingly, Jesse kisses back.

"Fucking finally." Genji says from the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> took me long enough smh......anyway sorry that this is a shitty filler chapter the next one will be a Good, or at least better than this one. i cant guarantee when the next one will be posted but hopefully itll be soon.  
> as always comments, kudos etc. are greatly appreciated <3333333


	6. Jack becomes Emotional Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the dads act like adults about feelings n stuff

Jack doesn’t want to admit it but he’s a little pissed… and worried. It’s been about three weeks since he and Gabe went out for coffee and Gabe hasn’t called or texted. Jack has called him about twenty times and texted him everyday, well, until he decided to stop around 4 days ago. He rolls over in bed and stares at his alarm clock. 1:28 AM. Jack rubs his eyes and gets up to take a whizz. When he returns his flip phone’s display is a pale blue. He has a message from...Gabe? Jack instantly flips it open to read the message.  It reads: 

> hi jack. this is sombra and jesse, we’re gabe’s kids. he’s goin thru some shit right now and we’re pretty sure its a depressive episode of some kind???? we’re not too sure. we know that theres a PTA meeting tonight so we’re going to force gabe to go. from what we know ur the president of the PTA and also gabe’s pretty into u ;) we’d love it if u could help him out because we dont know what to do. we think he just needs someone to talk to. please be kind to him when you see him, he’s really havin a tough time. hope things can work out :)

Suddenly, everything clicks into place. Jack knows almost exactly what Gabe is going through and he’s sure he can pin it down to shitty PTSD. If Gabe needs someone to talk to then Jack can do that. Even when they haven't spoken, Jack feels like he can really have something with Gabe. Something tangible and _real_ that he so desperately needs. Jack considers asking Sombra and Jesse what their address is so Gabe doesn't have to go out if he doesn't want to but he doesn't. He has no intention over-stepping boundaries like that. Instead he types out: 

> I'll definitely help him out. If there's anything you guys ever need, please don't hesitate to tell me. I really care about Gabe and I want him to feel okay. Not just for my sake, but for your sakes too. From personal experience, forcing him to do things can be difficult so sort of just...gently push him to do things. Take things slowly and encourage him. This whole thing might be PTSD related so if things go south, call someone that you know has the ability to help him out. Once again, if you need help please don't hesitate to call me. Best of luck, Jack :)

Jack sends the message after taking about twenty minutes to type out, maybe Hana's right. He should upgrade his phone. He feels like he understands what's going on a heck of a lot more and with some long awaited peace of mind, he heads back to bed.

* * *

Gabe shows up to the meeting about 3 quarters through looking like complete and utter shit. Jack doesn't like swearing all that much but that's the only way he can describe it. He's wearing a black beanie that covers his chocolate hair, his goatee has kind of faded into a beard, he's donning a stained gray hoodie, sweatpants and, a dad essential, socks and slides. Jack both admires his style and understands why Gabe feels like shit, in turn making him..almost pity the man. Jack decides to not draw any attention to Gabe and continue going on with organizing a charity fundraiser. Babette suggests another bakesale to which the mothers wholeheartedly agree with, even Ana. Jack isn't in the mood for PTA BS so the fundraiser is decided to be a bakesale. 

* * *

The rest of the meeting runs smoothly and Ana alongside some other mothers decide to pack up which is lucky for Jack because as soon as the meeting ends, Gabe almost bolts for the door. Jack has to climb into Gabe's car before he can drive off.

"Gabe you're not getting away from me that quickly. We need to talk." Jack says.

"We don't need to talk about anything, I'd like it if you'd get out of my car now." Gabe dryly replies.

"I don't know if you've checked your phone or not, but your kids texted me, through your phone, to tell me that you need help because they don't know how to help you. Look, there's a chance that I get what you're going through, so let's put aside our romantic bullshit and talk about what you're dealing with right now. I don't care whether or not you do it for me just think of your kids."

Gabe sighs and looks down at the wheel.

"Okay. Alright. Be prepared for a fucking tangent though."

"I don't mind."

"Right so... the night of our date....when I went to sleep I had a nightmare. I hadn't had a nightmare like that in a very, very long time. I don't want to go into it but pretty much, we were soldiers and you died in my arms. I dunno what happened but that triggered a whole bunch of PTSD shit and it launched me into a hellhole of depression and overthinking. I-I couldn't even get outta bed I..." Gabe's voice falters and Jack instantly puts his hand on the other man's shoulder. Gabe's voice breaks and tears start to trickle down his face but he continues, "I just felt the days go past in an instant, I came down for a bit of food every now and again but I just couldn't think of a good reason to leave my bed. It's shitty. It's real shitty. And I'm sorry for hurting you. I really, really like you and I s'pose that I have a fear of commitment or something. I get anxious about romance. If you haven't noticed I'm not really the romantic type. I...I'm getting off topic but, yeah. PTSD + depression + fear of commitment + anxiety equals a complete mental and emotional shitshow. That about sums up the past few weeks."  Gabe slumps further into his seat and Jack maneuvers himself over the center channel to hug him. Gabe awkwardly hugs back and cries into Jack's chest.  All Jack can do is rub Gabe's back and tell him that it'll be okay. 

"What do I do Jack? I...I have no idea what I'm doing." Gabe admits.

"I know you might not want to hear this but a doctor can help. A psychologist or something can be really useful, trust me on this. I kinda freaked out shortly after I adopted Hana and I was in a very similar situation to you. I ended up having to go to a psychologist for a while but it helped, I had to see a couple psychiatrists and I got onto some meds and things got better. That's your best option." Jack is still hugging Gabe but the tears have stopped, which is progress.

"That's probably the best idea."

"Yeah."

The men are still hugging in silence and it's kinda weird. Gabe finally let's go and takes off his beanie. He looks at Jack with his stunning, puffy eyes and Jack knows what's to come.

"I guess we should talk about us too." Gabe finally says.

Jack would rather eat a chili, jalapeno, habenero and chorizo sandwich than have this conversation but he stays still and replies with a meager "Okay."

"I'm really, really sorry for hurting you like this. I was a selfish asshole who got too caught up with personal drama."  
"Gabe just stop it. Stop calling it personal drama. It's okay to have bad days, bad weeks or even bad months. What makes things worse is brushing them off. I'll admit, I was really hurt but I understand where you're coming from. I forgive you but I don't want to hear you shoving this aside like it's nothing. Because it's not nothing."

"Okay, okay. You're right. Look, I...I think we really have something here. I really, really, really like you but I don't know if my brain'll let me be the best that I can be for you. I feel that if we become more serious now, we'll end up hurting each other." Gabe sighs.

Jack is at a loss. He knows it's the truth. He knows that the only way they could seriously work is to give it time. But he just wants to be with Gabe. To kiss him. To watch stupid movies with him. To hang out with him, his kids and hana as one whole. To do things that definitely aren't PG-13 with him. Jack just wants to be with Gabe romantically and with the whole open-ended nature of waiting, he doesn't know if that'll ever happen. It scares him a little.

"Jack, I'd really like it if you said something."

Oh. Right. Words. The Things People Use To Communicate Ideas And Such.

"I think you're right. I understand that we can't be together romantically right now but if you want me to be here as a friend then I will be. I can wait for you." Jack says, trying not to cry.

This time Gabe pulls Jack into a hug and whispers "Thank you, so much." in his ear.  


The words leave a bittersweet taste on Jack's tongue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooooooo boy its the second last chapter,,,, i honestly didn't intend for shit to get so angsty but this is where the story took me and i think it's rlly workin out. also don't worry, things are gonna be okay in the end ;)
> 
> all comments, kudos etc. are greatly appreciated <333333


	7. Epilogue

_ 3 months later _

In the final weeks of summer break everyone got invited to a dinner at Jack's and all things considered, Gabe Could Not Say No. So here they are. Lucio, Hana, Fareeha and, Genji are playing Starcraft. Jesse, Hanzo, Sombra and, Satya are upstairs listening to music. Ana and Reinhardt are cooking, while Jack and Gabe have been tasked with the arduous job of setting up outside. Gabe himself is doing a lot better. He's taking his meds and he's seeing a therapist weekly. He and Jack have actually gone on a couple dates but nothing too serious has happened.

"Gabe?" Jack asks as he hauls a stack of chairs onto the patio.

"Yeah?" he replies, switching on the final bug zapper.

"I've been thinking and um- do you wanna go out again? Like tomorrow night or something?"

"Sure. I can do tomorrow night. Where should we go?"

"Dunno. Got any ideas?"

"We could...go to that diner that makes beetroot burgers?"

"I went with Hana when she was eight and we got kicked out 'cos she tried to burn the place down. It was some weird phase she was going through, anyway I can't ever show my face there again."

"Holy shit man" Gabe tries to suppress a laugh, "Any other ideas then?"

"Honestly I think we should just go watch some shitty movie and grab pizza afterwards."

“Sounds good to me.”

“Okay. One question though.”

“Shoot.”

“Is this…” Jack gestures to himself and Gabe, “Are we...a thing?”

“Jack I honestly don’t know.”

“Do you want to be a thing?”

“I do. I really do. I just-”

“Think that we should take it slow?”

“Yeah.” Gabe takes a deep breath, “Look I really, really like you and things have gotten better but I don’t know if I’m a hundred percent ready to dive into something more serious.”

“It’s okay. I completely understand.” Jack sounds a little dejected.

“But...that doesn’t mean I don’t mind small stuff.”   
“Oh. Oh! So like...second date kinda stuff? A bit of kissing, cuddling and all that?”

“Hell yeah.” Gabe smiles.

“Would you mind if I kissed you right now?”

“Absolutely not.” 

With that, Jack pulls Gabe into a soft kiss. Gabe’s fingers tangle through Jack’s hair and he swears that nothing has ever tasted so sweet.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant believe i finished it, i honestly thought that i'd just abandon it halfway through but my incessant need to see my beautiful dads happy pulled through. this was originally a weird idea i came up with at like 2 am but i'm glad that something better came out. thank u so much for all the support, it really means a lot to me :) 
> 
> thanks for reading <33333


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